Awards honor ASU, community leaders
ASU’s Chicano/Latino & Staff Association (CLFSA) recently celebrated the contributions of community leaders and members of the organization who are making a difference within the ASU community and Arizona.
The ceremony, held annually at the university, provides an opportunity for the members to connect and re-establish relationships with ASU faculty and staff, in addition to community leaders who want to create stronger bonds with the university.
The event also serves to inform the community of new projects, challenges and success stories of the organization.
“The CLFSA is notable because faculty and staff work together to achieve common goals,” says Caroline Sotello Viernes Turner, president of the organization. “Most of the projects could not be accomplished without staff participation, and ASU is a place that encourages cooperation among faculty and staff.”
Edmundo Hidalgo, president of Chicanos Por La Causa, said that being the recipient of the César E. Chávez Community Service Award is a great honor, because he is an ASU alumnus and the award gives him an opportunity to remain involved with ASU.
“Many of the members of the CLFSA were my mentors, and I always knew that I could count on them when I was a student,” Hidalgo says. “ I’m no longer a student, but I believe it is important to give back to the university and the community because most of us did not reach our goals alone.”
Hidalgo received the award for his contributions to the Arizona community, and for his dedication to raising scholarship money for ASU students who were unable to pay in-state tuition.
The organization was founded at ASU in the fall of 1970. It aims to establish a better understanding of the problems faced by Latinos, and its members study ways to express concerns to the proper university administrators so that practical remedies can be implemented.
The recipients of this year awards are:
• Manuel Servin Faculty Award – Regents’ Professor Cordelia C. Candelaria, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
• Christine Marin Staff Award – Anita Verdugo Tarango, University Student Initiatives.
• Roberto L. Pastor Student Award – Elenia Sotelo, Urban and Metropolitan Studies Undergraduate.
• César E. Chávez Community Service Award – Edmundo Hidalgo, president and chief executive officer of Chicanos Por La Causa, and ASU’s Hispanic Research Center.
• Laura Rendón Scholarship Recipients – Esther Duarte, incoming ASU student; Raul Martinez, current ASU student; and Myriam J. Hubbard, transfer ASU student.